As a man I can be ignored

“As a man I can be ignored . . . ; but as a symbol I can be everlasting”

In the movie Batman Begins, we see the moment when Bruce Wayne reveals to his loving and ever-faithful butler, Alfred, his intention to become a symbol. Bruce has discovered that his legacy must become more than just his individual efforts. Your business must become your symbol that is everlasting. Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and even Donald Trump have become more than themselves. They can’t do everything themselves. Richard Branson, when asked how he managed so many companies, responded that his key is to do as little in managing the day-to-day as possible.

Your legacy is more than just working like a mad-person. It also means working smart. Leveraging sales, delegation of less important tasks, efficient production systems, proper controls and key measurements are all things we need to get the most of our efforts. Take some time evaluate how you can better utilize your energy and talent to grow your revenue, streamline your resources and ultimately improve your profits.

Your team wants to follow you. They need you to be their hero. The challenge of being a hero is knowing how to slay the dragons, teaching them to slay their own dragons, and not sacrificing the damsel in distress. Following through with your promise, providing a clear path to complete the quest, and holding values above convenience make someone a hero. The same is true whether you are talking about your employees, your clients or your family.

Stare down that dragon. Don’t compromise on values and principles. Lead the people around you using virtue, honesty and fairness. They want to follow.

David Bryant Mitchell is the author of the upcoming book Building Your Booming Business. He is also business coach and consultant that works with business owners and managers to create momentum in their business with strategies and tactics that they can implement today. These strategies are based on the five foundations of business: Marketing, Leadership, Operations, Finance and Systems.